The Perfect Guy
by yurianimeotaku
Summary: Natalie Green's integrity is put to the test.


**DISCLAIMER:** Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon created "The Facts of Life" fictional characters borrowed for this fan fiction. The author of this fan fiction does not profit, in any way, from the story and that all creative rights to the characters and titles belong to their original creator(s).

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES:** The wealthy one percent seem to be made of Teflon. They can say and do whatever they please with little to no legal repercussions. We see it every single day in the news. What we do not see, are the numerous crimes committed by the wealthy that are free from prosecution under "Diplomatic Immunity."

 **WARNING** : Contains implied sexual violence.

* * *

 **The Perfect Guy**

I arrived home late. I knew I was going to be in trouble with Mrs. Garrett, not for being late, but for not calling. The problem was I just could **not** call.

 _Several hours earlier…_

Cramming for exams is not my first choice of fun things to do on a Sunday, but at least it was productive. As I packed up my stuff, I smiled, because I knew I was more than ready for exams. I double-checked my area for anything I may have missed, pushed in my chair, and headed out of the library.

As soon as I stepped outside, the bright sunlight nearly blinded me. After several hours in the library, my eyes needed time to adjust, so I shielded my sensitive eyes and headed towards home.

"Natalie."

I paused and looked around, but did not see anyone, so I continued on my way.

"Natalie."

I stopped and searched the area for whoever was calling my name, but I still could not see who was trying to get my attention.

"Natalie."

"Yes?" I called out, trying to get the other person to speak again, so I could track the voice.

"Over here."

"Over where?" I replied as I scanned the area and headed towards the voice.

"Here."

My mouth hung open and I blinked in shock. One of my friends from Eastland was sitting on the walkway, leaning against a brick retaining wall.

"Oh my lord! What are you doing _here_ …on the ground?"

"Natalie!" my friend suddenly pulled me down into a tight hug.

Somehow, I managed to get my friend on her feet and helped her back to her dorm room. As soon as we sat down on her bed, she began crying and babbling incoherently. After almost an hour, I was finally able to calm her down enough for her to tell me what was wrong.

I sat staring at her wide-eyed and shocked down to my core. For someone who is rarely at a loss for words, I suddenly found myself speechless.

"Natalie?"

I shook my head a few times to clear it, "We need to get you to the doctor."

"No"

"What do you mean…no?"

"I…"

I took my friend's hand and gently squeezed it.

She was scared of him, but felt mostly ashamed and blamed herself for what happened. The look in her eyes caused my chest to tighten. At that moment, I wanted to blow up Bates Academy. I spent an hour trying to convince my friend to report what happened to her, but her terror-filled eyes told me my answer. My mind swirled with possible solutions and finally one dawned on me.

"I need to leave for a few minutes. Will you be okay?" I asked.

"Natalie, please don't leave me!" my friend exclaimed and frantically grabbed my arm.

As I looked into her red-rimmed eyes, I knew exactly how my friends felt after my own attack a few years ago.

"I need to go get a friend of mine. _He_ can't get to you in the dorms. Lock the door behind me, okay?"

My friend weakly nodded and I went in search of my friend Jo Polniaczek. I knew she would know what to do; at least I hoped.

I found her in the Eastland cafeteria underneath the kitchen sink.

"Jo? Are you busy?"

She popped her head out from under the sink, glared at me, and growled, "What does it look like ta you?"

Ignoring her normally foul mood, I said, "Good, as long as you're not busy. I need you to come with me to the dorms."

"Nat! I'm busy fixin' the sink," Jo yelled from under the sink.

"Jo…," I said pleadingly, "…I _really_ need your help. **Really**."

Apparently, Jo was better at reading her friends than we gave her credit for, because she stopped what she was doing, popped her head out from under the sink, and asked, "What's up Nat?"

I bent down and explained the situation. Before I was completely finished, Jo was out the kitchen door, running towards the dorms. I knew she was fast, but it was as if someone lit a fire under her.

"Jo," I called, bent over, trying to catch my breath.

Jo screeched to a halt and ran back to me, "Sorry Nat."

After I caught my breath, we jogged to the dorms. I knocked on my friend's door, but no one answered, so I knocked a bit louder. I looked at Jo and she knocked, loud enough to wake the dead. When her knocking did not bring my friend to the door, I began to panic. I looked at Jo and we instantly knew we were worrying about the exact same thing!

"Stand back Nat!" Jo warned before kicking in door.

Unfortunately, when we got into the room, our worse fear was confirmed when we saw my friend unconscious on the floor. I thought lightning did not strike twice. First, Tootie and I found our newly elected student council president Cynthia after she swallowed a bottle of pills and now Jo and I find my friend. Jo immediately knelt beside my friend and felt for a pulse.

"Whew! She's alive," Jo announced, initially relieved, but after seeing deep red marks on my friend's neck, she asked, "Nat? Were these here earlier?"

I looked at the marks, "No, they're new."

"SHIT!" Jo cursed.

Jo roused my friend back to consciousness. When she saw Jo, she immediately curled up in the fetal position and began crying.

"Wow Jo, you _must_ have a scary face," I quipped.

Jo glared at me and motioned for me to tend to my friend. As soon as she saw me, she lunged at me and tightly wrapped her arms around me. I reassured her, my friend Jo could help her, but she kept shaking her head. After an hour, Jo and I finally convinced my friend, she could trust us with her secret.

After Jo left the room, my friend immediately changed her mind and refused to press charges against the creep who raped her and then showed up at her dorm room to insure her silence. I stayed until way past curfew, trying to change her mind, but she adamantly refused. Before I left, I told my friend I would be here for her, in case she needed anything. She thanked me and swore me to secrecy about the rape. I assured her I would not tell a soul and Jo would keep her secret as well. She was just about to close the door, when she also swore me to secrecy about the identity of her rapist. I **really** did **not** want to keep that a secret, especially from Jo, because I _knew_ she would 'take care' of the creep. In fact, I was looking forward to watching Jo 'take care' of the creep. My friend would not let me leave until I promised, so I reluctantly did.

When I snuck into the cafeteria, it was well after curfew. I figured Mrs. Garrett was asleep, so I _might_ have a chance, unless Tootie opened her big mouth. I was just about to enter our room, when Mrs. Garrett yelled.

"Natalie!" Mrs. Garrett was standing in her bedroom doorway with her arms crossed.

I immediately went into damage control, "I'm sorry for not calling, but I couldn't."

Mrs. Garrett motioned for me to come into her bedroom. I felt like a "dead woman walking." I sat down on her bed and she sat next to me.

"Natalie, why weren't you able to call me? I was **so** worried," Mrs. Garrett said in that tone she used to make you feel guilty.

I silently debated whether to lie or not, but looking at Mrs. Garrett, I just could not lie to her, so I told her **everything** , including my friend's name, but not her rapist's. I lied and told Mrs. Garrett my friend did not know her rapist. Jo must have some sort of sixth sense, because she knocked on the bedroom door right after I finished. Mrs. Garrett asked Jo to come in and close the door.

"Jo, Natalie told me…," Mrs. Garrett began, but Jo cut her off.

"It's all true Mrs. G. Everything Nat said is true. I just wish we coulda gotten the name of the creep," Jo growled.

I had never ever seen Jo this angry. Her face was red and when I looked at her hands, or rather fists, they were almost white. At that moment, I could have kicked myself for promising to keep the rapist's name from Jo.

"Jo, there was something my friend didn't tell you. Those red marks around her neck, he left those."

"Nat, I figured he did, since the creep raped her."

"He didn't do that during the rape. While I was getting you, he came back."

"WHAT?" Both Jo and Mrs. Garrett yelled.

"How the hell did he get into the dorms?" Jo asked and then realized she swore, "Sorry about the language Mrs. G."

"You're excused this one time Jo," Mrs. Garrett said to Jo and turned to me, "How the hell did he get into the dorms?"

I was about to answer their question, but immediately shut my mouth and shook my head.

"NAT!" Jo yelled.

"Natalie, why won't you answer?" Mrs. Garrett sternly asked.

"I can't. I **promised** I wouldn't tell anyone his name and if I answer your question, I'd have to break my promise."

After an hour of questions from Mrs. Garrett and Jo, I held fast to my promise. The journalist in me was proud, but the human in me **really** wanted to tell.

"Well, it looks like Natalie isn't going to crack, so we might as well get some sleep," Mrs. Garrett said, resignation evident in her voice.

I quickly left Mrs. Garrett's bedroom, before Jo could catch me. When I got into our room, I quickly dove under my covers. Surprisingly, Jo did not return to our room until much later. When she did, she went right to sleep. I thought she would at least try to convince me to tell her the rapist's name.

The next morning, I woke up feeling awful and with a wrinkled school uniform. I looked over at Jo's bed, but she was already up and probably downstairs helping with getting breakfast out. When I arrived late for the breakfast shift, I figured Jo would give me a piece of her mind. Oddly, she left me alone. After my breakfast shift, I ran over to my friend's dorm room to check on her.

When I knocked on her door, a well-dressed woman opened the door.

"Hello, I came to see how my friend is doing," I told the woman, who was scrutinizing me.

" _You_ must be Natalie," the woman said in a rather haughty voice.

"Yep, that's me," I smiled, trying to hide my nervousness.

"My husband and I have pulled our daughter out of Eastland, effective immediately," my friend's mother, informed me.

"Is she alright?" I asked.

"All she needs is some rest and relaxation away from _here_ ," her mother sniffed.

"Rest and relaxation? Why?" I asked, completely perplexed.

"To recuperate from the bullying, of course," her mother stated, as if I were an idiot.

"What bullying?" I asked.

"Young lady, as a good friend of my daughter's, you should know all about the bullying she has been enduring. My husband and I saw the bruises on her neck!"

Realization dawned on me and I quickly excused myself. Before I left, I told her mother to tell my friend to get well. I ran back to find Mrs. Garrett. When I found her in the cafeteria, she was alone, so I told her what I discovered. She told me she already knew and the matter is now out of our hands.

"But Mrs. Garrett…," I pleaded.

"Natalie, her parents have left us no other choice. We have to drop it. I don't like it, but I have to abide by your friend's parents' decision."

I plopped down in a chair, completely defeated. I sat staring into space. After a while, I heard a familiar voice.

"Hey Nat, who stole your last cookie?" Jo asked after she walked into the cafeteria.

I just looked through her. Jo immediately sat down next to me.

"Hey, I was just kiddin'. What's wrong?"

"My friend's parents' pulled her out of Eastland today. Her mother said it was because my friend said she was being bullied."

"But that's a lie! We need to tell Mrs. Garrett," Jo exclaimed.

"I already did. She said there isn't anything we can do."

"Why don't we tell…," Jo stopped herself, when realization kicked in.

Jo and I sat in the cafeteria completely defeated.

"I wish I could get that creep and make him pay," Jo growled.

I nodded my head.

After that day, life at Eastland continued as usual. More pressing personal matters pushed this shared incident to the backs of Jo's and my minds.

Six months later, Tootie, Jo, and I were sitting in the cafeteria discussing our classes when Blair breezed in. She was humming and in an unusually good mood. The three of us looked at each other, silently debating whether to leave Blair alone or venture asking her about her good mood. Jo shrugged, telling us she was not going to ask. I raised my eyebrows, telling them I deferred the decision to Tootie.

"Blair, what has you humming?" Tootie asked.

"Not _what_ Tootie, _who_ ," Blair gushed.

Jo rolled her eyes and snarked, "Just another one of Blair's "boy toys."

" _He_ is not a "boy toy", as you so crassly put it Jo," Blair huffed.

"Yeah, right," Jo snickered.

"He happens to be the son of a very important diplomatic attaché. The family is almost as high on the social register as we are," Blair gushed.

"And just who is this _very_ important guy?" I asked.

After Blair said his name, everything else I hear afterward sounded like I was underwater. I felt sick and ran upstairs to our room. A few minutes later, Tootie joined me.

"Hey Nat, you had me worried. Are you okay?"

I shook my head.


End file.
